Rolled Fekkas- Moroccan twice baked biscuits and a bilingual issue

I hope you stepped into 2014 with your feet on the ground and that this year will bring good things to all of us.

In the UK, the year started with severe weather warnings, apparently due to a heavy wind coming from America..Let's hope this winter won't be that bad.

I have received some messages asking me to write in French. So I'm thinking I can write the recipes in English and French side by side or one after the other, all in one post...

What do you think? which one would be better?

Today, I'm posting a recipe of Rolled Fekkas with 3 fillings. Now my little baby who is teething is enjoying rubbing his gum into these because of their rough texture.

In Morocco, the "dried" biscuits get a soaking treatment either in the famous Moroccan tea or in milk...

The usual variety of Fekkas I grew up eating, dipped and mashed in milk for my breakfast is the one posted here. This WAS the equivalent of morning cereals, and it was yummy.

Fekkas, as explained to me by someone, is coming from the Moroccan word "Fkaiss" which refers to a nerve-wrecking moment, something that gives you fekssa means something that's making you somewhere between sad and nervous..Since fekkas is usually made in masses back home and it there is a thin line between over-baking and under-baking during the 1st baking, a non-skilled person can just get it wrong easily, which results in an easily breakable texture and you don't get the perfect cut to send back for baking..which was also another problem because people had to send it to the communal oven in the end of the street or the village (about 40 years ago or more, now people have their own ovens..)

Today's recipe is largely inspired by Choumicha's rolled fekkas except that I've put in my own filling combination and added some orange zest to the dough..

Choumicha is a famous Moroccan TV presenter in Morocca. She's not a Chef by Academic education but she's "one of us", a self-taught person and enjoys a good reputation in the culinary world, in Morocco and abroad.

Back to the recipe, it's very easy, it last long, it's not too sweet (just the way I like my sweets), and it leaves room for imagination as you will see..

Ingredients

Makes more that 30 pieces

Pre: 15 min / Rest: 1 to 2 hours / Baking: 15 min + 15 min

Dough

400-430g of flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

100g of caster sugar

5 cl orange juice

5 cl neutral oil

A pinch of salt

1 tsp of citrus zest (orange in this case)

1 tsp of vanilla extract

Filling N 1

Orange marmalade, slightly bitter andwith bits of orange peels

Almonds, roughly chopped, skin on

Filling N 2

Apricot jam

Dessicated coconut or chopped walnut

Filling N 3

Berries jam

Poppy seeds

Egg-wash

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp of water or orange blossom water

Preparation

In a bowl, mix the wet ingredients with a whisk (eggs, juice and oil).

Fold in the sugar and salt. Mix

Add flour and baking powder (I usually mix them together and then sift them, so the baking powder is distributed evenly).

Mix to a smooth paste. Divide dough into 4 balls.

On a floured surface , roll each ball of dough into 3mm thick.

Spread the jam first and sprinkle with nuts. Roll to form a rod/tube, not too tight but not loose either

Arrange on a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with beaten egg.

Bake the rolls for 10-14 minutes at 160 C, they will change in colour, become paler and the edges will become slightly golden. They will change in texture and become caky. They will spread because of the baking powder, so you need to leave at least 7 cm between each tube/rod of rolled dough .

Once out the oven, cover them with a kitchen cloth.

Let them cool for 1 hour or even overnight.

Preheat the oven at 160 C.

Using a knife, delicately cut the biscuits anywhere between 5 and 8 mm.

Arrange them on a baking sheet, you don't need to leave space between the biscuits at this stage and bake them again until they get a nice golden colour and they become dry to the touch. This might take 15 min to 20 min... I usually knock off the oven and let them dry if I need extra minutes for this purpose..

Keep in a metallic cookie box for 2 weeks or even more..

These fekkas are better consumed at least 12 hours after baking them..

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About Author

I'm Nada, a London-based Moroccan food expert. I am a mother of two little boys who keeps my hands full. I lived in different places and that made me realize how I miss Moroccan food. I moved to write extensively about it and I hope you will enjoy reading my posts and trying my family recipes as much as I enjoy writing them. You can also find me at tasteofmaroc.com where I publish authentic recipes and write about some cultural aspects of the Moroccan society.

Lovely looking things Nada - I never heard of them before - they sure look good though! How's it going with the baby? The last I heard, you were pregnant, and then you disappeared and didn't seem to mention it again and I didn't like to ask, but I'm happy to hear he's (or she?) is at the teething stage! My son's front teeth came out insanely fast and these days he's having a hard time with the back teeth coming out one after the other too. Must be terribly painful!Au sujet des recettes en français - l'un après l'autre marchera bien, je crois!

The baby has 4 teeth and crawling like crazy..He's name is Ilias..The front teeth came out one after the other literally, within a week. I've told the hardest part is still to come with the other ones..poor little ones..

About these fekkas...Ilias is finding them practical for his teething problem..they're not too sweet and he kind of rub them against the gum..I'll be making him a baby friendly version soon lol..

About Me

I'm Nada, a London-based Moroccan food expert. I am a mother of two little boys who keeps my hands full. I lived in different places and that made me realize how I miss Moroccan food. I moved to write extensively about it and I hope you will enjoy reading my posts and trying my family recipes as much as I enjoy writing them. You can also find me at tasteofmaroc.com where I publish authentic recipes and write about some cultural aspects of the Moroccan society.